Netflix executive Scott Stuber gives a peek into studio’s thought process
Netflix head of original films Scott Stuber took part in The Hollywood Reporter’s Studio Executives Roundtable. While he didn’t make any big announcements, he allowed a peek into the studio’s thought process.
A few days ago, The Hollywood Reporter published yet another one of their excellent roundtable discussion videos. This one featured some prominent movie studio executives, including representatives from Disney, Warner Bros. and of course, Netflix.
Netflix’s representative at this roundtable was head of original films, Scott Stuber, whose presence on the panel allowed him to field questions and shed some new light on the streaming service’s plans for the future.
Interestingly, the first time Stuber was addressed in the discussion was in regards to the overall increase in content that we’re currently seeing. In the next month alone, Netflix is preparing to add at least 110 titles. That’s a lot!
Between the movies that you can see at the theater, newly released films on home video, and the large and growing number of streaming services, there are so many options for you to watch at any given time. So it’s only natural that this is the place where the Netflix representative entered the discussion.
Netflix’s strategy is almost the polar opposite of something like Disney, who was represented at the roundtable by Co-Chairman and Chief Creative Officer Alan Horn. Disney releases a handful of movies per year, each of which are basically a surefire hit. They make movies that they know people will go out to the theater to see, and they leave it there. Contrasting this with Netflix, who releases so much that it’s easy to lose something in the shuffle.
But that’s simply what Netflix has to do to remain viable. As Stuber pointed out in the video, Netflix doesn’t have a huge library the way that Disney or Warner Bros. do, so they have to make a name for themselves based on the content that they produce.
Personally, this is what the huge draw to Netflix is. I love to know what’s new every week. To rely on a big studio like Disney for a weekly output, I would just be disappointed. But Netflix regularly puts out new content and much of it is can’t miss for someone like me.
This is especially true around awards season when we’re getting releases like The Irishman, Roma, and Marriage Story. But in 2020, the number of notable Netflix originals only seems to be going up.
And again, this is all part of Netflix’s strategy. They want their content to be available to consumers right away because, after all, the idea here is to make money.
Stuber indicated that there may not be an increase in Netflix films released theatrically, the way many are hoping for. Putting a movie in theaters just means that you’re going to have to compete with whatever else is playing that weekend. As the studio executives in this roundtable lamented, great movies aren’t always marketable.
Great movies not being marketable doesn’t mean audiences don’t deserve to see them, though. This is why we’re going to continue to see Netflix operate the way they do. To me, it really is a good strategy. They’ve come to the realization that a movie being memed and talked about on Twitter means that people are watching it and interacting with it. Produce enough films like this, and you’re in a good spot.